2017 Cone Gen Z CSR Study: How to Speak Z

January 8, 2018

Gen Z has gotten a bad rap. Yes – their faces may be glued to their smartphones, but don’t mistake that for disinterest. This is a group of early adopters, digital natives and energized advocates. Oh, and they’ll account for 40 percent1 of all consumers globally by 2020 – 2.56 billion people.2 Their expectations of companies to address important social and environmental issues are high but how they want to get involved differs from other generations. And if you think they’re “too young” to get engaged, think again. Say “hi” to Gen Z.

Key Findings:

Younger Gen Zers are even less likely to pay attention to a company’s CSR efforts when shopping (58% vs. 65% average).

Gen Z sees their wallets as the primary way to get engaged in CSR efforts, with nine-in-10 (90%) saying they would buy a product with a social or environmental benefit.